“The object of this Association is to bring about among God’s people that reformation called for in the Testimonies for the Church, Volume 9, page 126, as the prerequisite movement to sounding the “Eleventh-Hour Call” (Matt. 20:6, 7) of “the everlasting gospel…to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Rev. 14:6. Through this call, the Loud Cry of the three angels’ messages, it is to gather “the people of the saints of the Most High” (Dan. 7:27) into the kingdom “which shall never be destroyed…but…shall break in pieces and consume all…kingdoms.” Dan. 2:44. Thus it shall usher in the reign of Christ as Lord of lords and King of kings over all the earth forever and ever.” — The Leviticus of Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist, page 5, par. 1.
“When Zion shall arise and shine, her light will be most penetrating, and precious songs of praise and thanksgiving will be heard in the assemblies of the saints…Why not awake the voice of our spiritual songs in the travels of our pilgrimage?”–“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 6, p. 368. {3SC7: 15.1.1}
“As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer” (“Education,” p. 168), and is a great solace and inspiration to us as we strive to win a place in the “congregation of saints”–the 144,000–“when the purification shall have taken place.” {3SC7: 15.1.2}
And as we pray and sing in the spirit and with understanding (1 Cor. 14:15), our songs will express the truths and experiences of the message, of Present Truth, and then we shall see that “the temple of God is opened in heaven, and the threshold flushed with the glory which is for every church that will love God and keep His commandments….Then we shall have spiritual eyesight to discern the inner courts of the celestial temple. We shall catch the themes of song and thanksgiving of the heavenly choir round about the throne.”–“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 6, p. 368. {3SC7: 15.1.3}
“The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in [present] truth.” (John 4:23.) Hence, the ensuing song is the beginning of our response to the words of the Psalmist: “Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the saints.” (Psalms 149:1.) {3SC7: 15.1.4}
The importance of sacred song as part of the worship of God has been recognized from the very beginning of the DSDA church, in whose behalf the present work is issued. Among their earliest publications, was a collection of hymns expressing their faith and breathing a spirit of consecration and devotion to God and His work.
Notwithstanding the good work done before, it was generally felt that a larger work, more varied in content, and of a broader scope—in a nutshell, a work expressing the truth for this time was needed. Accordingly, a Hymnal Committee was put in place to cater for that need.
The plan was to have church members worldwide compose and submit hymns (lyrics and tunes) to the Committee who would then edit them, ensuring as a priority that the message be as clear and sound as presented, and that it is according to the present truth.
As much as possible, the writer’s thought and pattern of song are maintained, nevertheless, the hymns in this booklet may differ from the submitted hymns, some very much and others very little. This is simply because the Committee corrected the messages in the hymns, added some tunes to the hymns that were submitted without tunes, and modified some tunes.
The layout of the hymns in this booklet is as the Committee wished it should be. The hymnal is divided into sections to maintain order when adding and updating the hymns. In navigating to any hymn, the section number precedes the hymn number. More songs continue to be submitted, therefore, the hymnal is expected to expand. The prayers of all Eleventh Hour Church members are required so that the Committee’s work can be a success.
Thank you, and God bless.
